ANYONE BOIL STRINGS?

[tercesyrev]

Back in the day when I was a poor college student our band used to boil our worn strings. They sounded almost brand new afterward and their life was extend a bit longer. Obvious only roundwounds.

Just did it recently with same result.

 

[rodl2005]

I used to. Now I'll soak them in some metho for 24hrs.
Works better imo and I get less breakages

 

[bikeplate]

I used to now I use Elixirs

 

[C Stone]

I just did it on another set, it removes the crud, freshens them up a bit and buys a little time. The strings I wanted were days out and I wanted to play it.

I’ve boiled plenty of strings back in the day (much leaner times) now I just buy what I want and usually have plenty of fresh spares but I didn’t have the gauge.

 

[bholder]

al dente, a touch of salt, maybe a dash of denatured yak bile...

 

[Geri O]

Not for many, many years now.

And back in The Day, when I was really broke and needed to boil strings, we were an Old School R&B band, playing a lot of pop & thump bass (they call it “slap” playing now). I was breaking a lot of strings back then. Nothing to be proud of. Later on, we went more Top 40 and we were making better money by then. I did boil strings a few times and they did sound better, but they were dead again in 2-3 days.

Just my experiences, don’t mean to discourage the idea….

 

[roller]

I did it once in high school to a set of Rotosound Swing Bass... had some crazy residue in the pot afterward but I couldn't say that it made the strings sound or feel particularly better. Never again.

 

[aguacateojos]

Tried when I was a broke teenager, didn't really do anything.

 

[bassfuser]

MarloweDK has a better idea:

 

[J-Bass RMR]

Used to all the time.
Boiled GHS Boomers to death for years.
Never had an issue, never broke a string, they never rusted, no intonation issues (but I played a lot of fretless)
4 minutes in an old pan, pat dry with a towel and let air dry for a while.

Now I just soak in denatured alcohol in a pvc tube. It does bring them back to life. (but I do think your "chemistry" has a lot to do with it)
Not often, as I'm not into the bright round-wound sound anymore.

I was really broke and needed to boil strings

 

[Engle]

Back in the day when I was a poor college student our band used to boil our worn strings. They sounded almost brand new afterward and their life was extend a bit longer. Obvious only roundwounds.

Just did it recently with same result.

It works, but in my experience they go dead again pretty quickly. Soaking them in methyl alcohol is the way to go.

 

[robassable]

I used to boil rotosounds. It did bring some of the brightness back, but never to the extent of their former glory, and any benefit boiling had was short lived. Too much hassle IMO, but I was fairly broke back then. Now I use DR High Beams cause they maintain their brightness and character quite a while longer.

 

[Topkat13]

Eggs yes…never thought about strings. Seems like they would be difficult to digest and result in stringy bowel movements

 

[socknroll1]

I used to now I use Elixirs

They don't seem to get a love here on TB but they are my favorites.

 

[Discount Bassy]

I've never boiled a set of strings. I used to replace them quite a bit when they went dead, but since then have learned the value of decent quality strings and also developed a regimen to keep my strings clean in the first place. I wash my hands before I play and don't touch the instrument otherwise unless with clean hands. I wipe down the strings before and after I play. Sort of like my sax, if I eat or drink between toots, I clean my mouth before playing and clean the instrument thorough afterwards to avoid cruddy buildup. It may be a combination of factors, but it seems like my strings hold a tone that I can appreciate a lot longer (dollars to doughnuts) per hour played. It is also possible my taste in tone has changed, but I feel it has remained consistent, preferring a brighter sounding attack.

 

[jdjk7]

Back in the day when I was a poor college student our band used to boil our worn strings. They sounded almost brand new afterward and their life was extend a bit longer. Obvious only roundwounds.

Just did it recently with same result.

It never sat well with me to boil steel strings in water, but I did used to soak mine in alcohol for 1-2 days before giving them a good wipe. I don't know if it was as effective as boiling, but it did something. I haven't done that in a long time, though.

 

[GretschWretch]

Used to all the time.
Boiled GHS Boomers to death for years.
Never had an issue, never broke a string, they never rusted, no intonation issues (but I played a lot of fretless)
4 minutes in an old pan, pat dry with a towel and let air dry for a while.

Now I just soak in denatured alcohol in a pvc tube. It does bring them back to life. (but I do think your "chemistry" has a lot to do with it)
Not often, as I'm not into the bright round-wound sound anymore.

Me too on this. For years, I boiled strings. Now, I'm a denatured alcohol guy all the way.

 

[GretschWretch]

Eggs yes…never thought about strings. Seems like they would be difficult to digest and result in stringy bowel movements

But think of the purgative effects roundwounds might have.

 

[Stewie]

Ahhh, "Swing Bass" soup, a light pink broth with a distinct aroma. Was served regularly at my house until I switched to flats

 

[cbass1]

I put my strings through a denatured alchohol soak for 24 hrs every month and they come out 95% brand new and usually last a month or so, nice and zingy. I put this pvc tube together capped on the bottom with a screw cap on the top, about 4 feet long and filled it with D.A. I have string sets that are easily 15 years old that have been through the process a hundred times. Strings still sound great and have never broken a string (and I play light guage and use them a lot during the month) Highly recommended, I am sure it has saved me a couple thousand dollars over the years.